As an educator, I am passionate about using research-based best practices in my instruction. However, in my experience, I have often seen teachers who reject such practices in favor of "the same-old same old," whether that's in the best interests of their students. Such teachers prefer to rely on practices that have not been proven to support student learning. My question is why? Why do professional educators disregard many valuable ideas? Is it a conscious decision or are teachers even aware of what they are rejecting? What can be done to encourage the acceptance and use of best practices?
As an educator, I am passionate about using research-based best practices in my instruction. However, in my experience, I have often seen teachers who reject such practices in favor of "the same-old same old," whether that's in the best interests of their students. Such teachers prefer to rely on practices that have not been proven to support student learning. My question is why? Why do professional educators disregard many valuable ideas? Is it a conscious decision or are teachers even aware of what they are rejecting? What can be done to encourage the acceptance and use of best practices?